Full Circle: A Solo Exhibition by Kelly Spell

Full Circle is an exhibition of abstract quilts by Kelly Spell. It includes 16 quilts that date from 2019-present.

Spell's work explores ideas of movement, energy, and the exertion of control amidst chaos. Featuring bold, graphic compositions and complex construction methods, her quilts embody dynamic visual tension and blend traditional quiltmaking techniques with a deep appreciation for mid-century design.

Spell lives in Hixson, Tennessee. She graduated from James Madison University in 2003 with a degree in Media Arts and Design. Spell bought her first sewing machine in 2014 following some encouragement from her mother, a longtime seamstress. Though many of Spell’s early designs were improvisational, her practice became very process driven and precision oriented in 2021—a reaction to the turbulence and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the political environment in the U.S.

Spell received The Modern Quilt Guild’s first-ever award for Best Original Modern Design at QuiltCon in 2024. Her quilts have been featured in numerous publications, exhibitions, and museums around the world, including the National Quilt Museum, Asheville Art Museum, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Textilsammlung Max Berk in Heidelberg, Germany. 

Reception: September 12 from 6 - 9pm

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